Biological Sciences
Houston Cole Library
Collection Assessment
Submitted by Kimberly Westbrooks and Paula J. Barnett-Ellis
May 25, 2011
Introduction
Based on guidelines provided by the OCLC/WLN Collection Assessment Service, which
provides a framework within which to evaluate a library's current holdings and the level
of activity at which the collection is being developed, the Biological Sciences collection
is rated an overall 3cP, Advanced Study or Instructional Support Level, predominately
English. Refer to the Biological Sciences conspectus sheets and checklist analyses for
a more detailed examination of the Library's holdings.
Holdings
The Biological Sciences collection contains 19,720 titles, including 296 electronic books,
in the Library of Congress classifications QH through QR and SB 107-108.The number
of titles for each subject area is listed below:
LC Class
QH
QK
QL
QM
QP1-495
QR
SB 107-108
Totals
Category
Biology
Botany
Zoology
Human Anatomy
Physiology
Microbiology
Economic Botany
Library
Holdings
6,067
3,180
7,009
375
2,231
822
36
19,720
E-books
120
26
58
5
55
32
0
296
Supplemental Support
Biological Sciences subject areas also extend beyond the boundaries of the disciplines.
Holdings in the related subject collections of Agriculture, Chemistry, Education,
Geography and Anthropology, Geology, Medicine, and Psychology provide additional
support to the Biology Collection.
Titles Added/Titles Published 2005/06-2009/2010
FISCAL
YEAR
2005/06
2006/07
Added to
Collections
QH-QR
290
290
Y.B.P.
Output
1,679
1,886
1
Percentage
17%
15%
FISCAL
YEAR
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
Totals
Average
Added to
Collections
QH-QR
247
252
207
1,286
Y.B.P.
Output
Percentage
1,921
1918
1925
9,329
13%
13%
11%
14%
Compiled from Yankee Book Peddler New Title Reports and cataloging statistics 2005-2010.
http://www.ybp.com/title_reports.html
The Library’s collecting level was measured against Yankee Book Peddler’s New Titles
Report. The average percentage of books added to the Library’s collection from 20052010 in Biological Science is 14%. This rate is within the guidelines of the
recommended collecting level to maintain a 3a level collection, which is 11-15%.
Monograph Expenditures for Biological Sciences
FISCAL YEAR
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
Average
AMOUNT
$28,603.70
$23,963.86
$25,342.16
$24,440.39
$20,464.73
$24,562.97
.
Checklist Summaries
The following bibliographies were checked against the Library's holdings, revealing the
following percentages. See the attached checklists for more detailed data about the
Library's holdings in specific subject areas within Biological Sciences.
Withdrawals
As currency of information is so important in the Biological Sciences collection, older
books are withdrawn as newer editions supercede them, and new books are ordered to
fill gaps as curriculum requirements change. There were 261 total withdrawals in the
Library of Congress call number range QH-QR from FY 2005/06 to FY 2009/10.
Periodicals and Serials Assessment
Many individual subscriptions have been cancelled because they are available in
subscribed, aggregated databases. While it appears that expenditures for serials has
decreased, this is not the case. Due to the diverse nature of the content within many
databases, expenditures are not devoted strictly to one subject’s fund area. They are
instead distributed through a “general” fund area. The Library provides access to more
than 1,800 Biological Science journals in print and electronic format, according to Serial
Solutions. The Library subscribes to numerous periodical databases and online full text
2
sources. In addition, access is also available to nine titles in the prestigious Annual
Review series, which is devoted to specialized areas of the biological sciences. The
most valuable aspect for patrons, however, is links to holdings in numerous databases,
including Elsevier Science Direct and EBSCOhost.
Serials expenditures for Biological Sciences (includes electronic access)
FISCAL YEAR
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
AVERAGE
AMOUNT
$24,968.52
$27,082.07
$21,785.61
$16,768.06
$16,701.76
$21,461.20
The following sources were checked against the Library's periodical holdings:
Title
Biological and Agricultural Index Plus
Magazines for Libraries (15th Ed.)
WilsonWeb Applied Science & Technology
Index/Abstracts/Full Text
WilsonWeb Biological and Agricultural Index Plus
Total
Held
Listed
266
60
385
97
Percent
Held
69%
62%
430
266
1,022
793
385
1,660
54%
69%
62%
Audiovisual Materials Assessment
The Biological Sciences AV collection contains181 titles in the classifications QH, QK,
QL, QM, QP and QR. This collection includes items such as videos, filmstrips, kits, and
slides. A breakdown by format follows:
Format
Cassettes
Filmstrips
Kits
Slides
Video
Total
Totals
1
34
5
30
111
181
Access to Electronic Resources (Defined Access)
The Library's defined access is rated a 3cP, Advanced Study or Instructional Support
Level, predominately English. Access is provided to an extensive collection of remotely
3
accessible electronic resources, including bibliographic tools, texts, indexes, journals,
etc. Most of the electronic journal titles are integrated, analyzed, and accessible
through the online Voyager catalog. These sources encompass titles available through
various aggregator databases, e-book collections, online open access journal websites,
documents, and e-journals.
Links are provided to full text in Library-subscribed databases and Open Access
Internet resources such as PubMed Central and BioMed Central.
Other databases available are Elsevier Science Direct; which provides access to close
to 500 full text journals in the subject area of Life Sciences. In addition, the Wiley Online
Library database provides full-text access to around 50 additional journals under the
Life Sciences subject listings. These databases are available via the Internet to
registered, authenticated users.
In addition, there are some Web sites that offer free access to full-text articles, such as
BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/), PubMed Central
(http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/). There may be a delay of six months to a year
before full text articles are released.
Access to MEDLINE via PubMed is available through the Library's website as well, and
includes limited full text. Some full text Biological Sciences coverage is also available
through several of the Library's general aggregator databases, including Gale's
Expanded Academic ASAP, with 80 full text titles in Biological Sciences and related
areas, and EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier, with approximately 102 full text titles in
these subject areas.
Biological Science subject area e-books are available through various platform
providers including NetLibrary, Ebrary and Gale Virtual Reference Library. These ebooks are accessible though the Library’s online catalog.
In addition to providing access to electronic databases, library subject specialists review
and recommend World Wide Web sites for inclusion in the Voyager catalog.
Summary
A. Monographic Holdings
Strengths:
The Biological Sciences collection is adequate to support the Master of Science in
Biology and more than adequate to support the Bachelor of Science programs. Holdings
are particularly strong in the areas of Natural History (QH 1-200), Biology (General) (QH
301-425), Genetics (QH 426-470), Ecology (QH540-549), Botany (General) (QK 1474.5) Botany (Specific Fields) (QK475-635), and in the subject area of Zoology (QL)
(including General, Invertebrates, Birds, Mammals, Ethnology, Anatomy and
Embryology, and Microbiology).
4
Weaknesses:
Areas in the Biological Sciences collection that need development are Microscopy (QH
201-278), Biology Study and Teaching, Research (QH 50.5-58), Botany Study and
Teaching (QK 714) and Zoology, Classification, Taxonomy, Nomenclature (QL 351355). Areas that need some updating are Biology Textbooks (QH 308) and Embryology
(QL 951-991).
.
Recommendations:
Continue weeding and acquire more updated material in the areas identified above.
B. Periodicals
Strengths:
The Library provides access to more than 1,800 Biological Science journals in print and
electronic format, according to Serial Solutions. Print subscriptions include a strong
collection of general science and biology titles such as Nature and Science... The
Library also offers print and electronic access to a variety of specialized titles, including
journals such as Ecology, Animal Behavior, American Journal of Botany, American
Naturalist, and Cell Proliferation. Current individual subscriptions in Biology (those that
are not acquired from database aggregators) are 47 print and 9 electronic. The
periodical holdings are adequate to support both the Master of Science in Biology and
the Bachelor of Science in Biology.
Links to journals in the online catalog have made it easier for patrons to find a journal
title, and Serials Solutions has made it simpler to determine which database contains
the full text of a journal. Also, many titles recommended by Magazines for Libraries are
available in full text via open access resources..
Weaknesses:
The strength of the periodicals collection remains an ongoing concern, as it was in the
previous assessment. The research expectations of the Biology department continue to
rise, as do the prices of science journals. The Library has had to cancel print
subscriptions of journals that are also available in periodical databases to try to keep up
with price increases, and subject specialist librarians continue to seek the Biology
Department’s input on journals to retain or cancel.
Recommendations:
Funding must remain level or increase to keep the collection at its current numbers and
allow for growth when needed. Library personnel must continue to work with Biology
faculty members to make sure the periodical collection meets their students’ research
needs. The Library should maintain current subscriptions to online periodical databases
and add new titles or collections when needed for Biological Sciences and related
subject areas in order to keep access at current levels. The Library’s ability to support
upper level and graduate classes is highly dependent on adequate funding remaining
available for periodical access. The Library should also continue using the ALabama
LIbraries Exchange Service or ALLIES, which is available for all students who need to
5
obtain books from other Alabama academic libraries. Interlibrary loan service is also
available for undergraduate and for graduate students in Biology.
C. Nonprint media
Strengths:
Biological Sciences holdings in AV cover a wide range of subject areas, with updated
videocassette holdings in cell biology and zoology.
Weaknesses:
Some of the films and filmstrips are dated.
Recommendations:
Seek input from Biology faculty to make sure acquisitions continue to support the
curriculum and make the best use of the AV Department’s limited budget. Acquire new
material, on videocassettes, CD-ROM or DVD, to replace the dated films and reels.
Weed accompanying diskettes for books no longer held in the collection.
D. Electronic Resources (Defined Access)
Strengths:
A number of databases provide access to full text articles, citations and abstracts from
thousands of periodicals, conference proceedings, etc. in Biological Sciences and
related fields. General subject databases provide access to many more periodicals.
Also, links to many authoritative, useful Internet sites for Biological Sciences are
accessible through the Library's online catalog.
Weaknesses
None noted
Recommendations
Relevant web sites should continue to be evaluated and added to the catalog on a
regular basis. Library personnel should take every opportunity to publicize and promote
the convenient access to print and electronic resources available through the Library’s
online catalog.
6
Detailed Checklists
Title
Held
American Reference Books Annual 2010
Biological Sciences
Biology
Catalogs and Collections
Chronology
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Anatomy
Atlases
Catalogs and Collections
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Botany
General Works
Flowering Plants
Grasses
Succulents
Natural History
Zoology
Atlases
Catalogs and Collections
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Birds
Dictionaries and Encyclopedia
Directories
Insects
Mammals
Marine Animals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Total
Title
Listed
1
0
1
0
1
1
3
9
100%
0%
33%
0%
0
`0
1
1
3
1
0%
0%
100%
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
2
1
4
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0
0
1
0
1
1
2
4
0%
0%
50%
0%
3
0
1
0
0
0
8
5
2
5
4
2
4
60
60%
0%
20%
0%
0%
0%
13%
Held
American Reference Books Annual 2009
Biological Sciences
Biology
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Anatomy
Botany
Listed
3
0
0
7
Percent
Listed
3
2
2
Percent
Listed
100%
0%
0%
Title
Held
General Works
Flowering Plants
Fruit
Grasses
Trees and Shrubs
Natural History
Zoology
General Works
Birds
Fishes
Insects
Mammals
Marine Animals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Total
Title
Listed
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
3
1
1
3
4
Percent
Listed
25%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
7
2
6
2
1
4
2
1
41
0%
0%
0%
100%
25%
0%
0%
17%
Held
American Reference Books Annual 2008
Biological Sciences
Biology
Chronology
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Anatomy
Botany
General Works
Flowering Plants
Succulents
Natural History
Zoology
General Works
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Birds
Atlases
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Directories
Fishes
Insects
Mammals
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
8
Listed
Percent
Listed
0
3
2
0
1
4
4
2
0%
75%
50%
0%
1
1
0
3
7
1
33%
14%
0%
2
5
40%
0
1
1
3
0%
33%
0
1
1
3
0%
33%
0
3
2
4
0%
75%
2
3
67%
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Reptiles and Amphibians
Total
0
1
17
Title
Held
American Reference Books Annual 2007
Biological Sciences
Biology
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Anatomy
Botany
General Works
Flowering Plants
Fruit
Fungi
Zoology
General Works
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Indexes
Birds
Domestic Animals
Fishes
Insects
Mammals
Marine Animals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Total
Title
Listed
9
0%
100%
35%
Percent
Listed
1
3
1
1
4
3
100%
75%
33%
1
4
0
0
2
4
1
2
50%
100%
0%
0%
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
2
3
0
0
22
1
2
1
1
7
4
2
3
4
4
5
51
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
67%
75%
0%
0%
43%
Held
American Reference Books Annual 2006
Biological Sciences
Biology
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Anatomy
Botany
General Works
Bibliography
Catalogs and Collections
3
1
48
Listed
Percent
Listed
3
0
0
3
3
3
100%
0%
0%
1
0
3
3
33%
0%
Title
Held
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Flowering Plants
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Fungi
Grasses
Trees and Shrubs
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Handbooks and Yearbooks
Genetics
Zoology
General Works
Birds
Domestic Animals
Fishes
Insects
Mammals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Total
Title
Resources for College Libraries, 2007, vol. 5 Science &
Technology
History of Biology
Biological Techniques
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
Herbaria, Museums, and Culture Collections
Microscopy
General Field Methods
General Laboratory Methods
Statistical Analysis and Mathematics
Applied Mathematics (Biology)
Statistics and Biostatistics
Computer Modeling and Simulation
Library and Reference Works
Bioinformatics
Analytic Methods
Gene Sequencing
Methods of Gene Sequencing
Protein Sequences
DNA and RNA Sequences
Proteomics
Computational Molecular Biology
Statistics and Mathematics
Computer Applications
10
Held
31
1
13
0
2
0
7
2
1
5
3
14
9
9
4
2
1
3
2
5
2
6
Listed
2
4
5
7
Percent
Listed
40%
57%
0
2
0
0
2
5
2
1
0%
40%
0%
0%
2
0
3
3
4
4
67%
25%
75%
2
1
1
2
3
0
0
26
5
7
2
6
4
3
2
77
40%
14%
50%
33%
75%
0%
0%
34%
Listed
92
3
53
3
16
4
52
9
26
17
17
30
42
35
17
3
9
7
19
29
11
16
Percent Listed
34%
33%
25%
0%
13%
0%
13%
22%
4%
29%
18%
47%
21%
26%
24%
67%
11%
43%
11%
17%
18%
38%
Title
Computer Hardware
Computer Software
Microarray Data Analysis and Sequence Analysis
Biochemistry and Biophysics
General Biochemistry
Specific Substances: Proteins
Specific Substances: Enzymes
Specific Substances: Nucleic Acids
Specific Substances: DNA
Specific Substances: RNA
Plant Biochemistry
Biophysics
Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetics
Molecular Biology, General
Genetics (General)
Molecular Genetics
Population Genetics
Genomics
Medical Genetics
Genetic Engineering
Cell Biology, Eucaryotes
Developmental Biology
Organismic Biology (Anatomy, Physiology)
Anatomy and Morphology
Plant Anatomy
Higher Plants
Animal Anatomy
General
Invertebrate
Vertebrate
Human Anatomy
Histology
Embryology
Plant Embryology
Animal Embryology
Human Embryology
Physiology
Plant Physiology
Animal Physiology
Human Physiology
Neurobiology
Cellular Neurobiology
CNS
Immunology
Cancer Immunology
Behavioral Biology
Behavior of Microorganisms
Plant Behavior
Animal Behavior
Social Behavior
Integrative Biology
Biogeography
11
Held
1
5
2
0
13
8
5
0
28
0
5
1
0
24
61
20
2
12
16
0
2
13
Listed
2
9
19
6
56
66
13
12
56
4
18
4
1
81
142
92
5
67
73
10
17
20
Percent Listed
50%
56%
11%
0%
23%
12%
38%
0%
50%
0%
28%
25%
0%
30%
43%
22%
40%
18%
22%
0%
12%
65%
3
7
0
8
14
1
2
4
4
9
4
11
1
1
5
2
1
2
5
0
0
0
0
1
7
1
1
1
0
2
8
13
15
12
26
5
10
13
10
1
5
10
1
1
1
4
4
11
2
1
3
5
100%
50%
31%
60%
33%
42%
20%
10%
38%
20%
100%
40%
50%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
64%
50%
100%
33%
0%
15
38
39%
38%
50%
0%
Title
General Ecology
Marine Habitats
Ocean Habitats
Deep Sea Habitats
Coastal Habitats
Marsh and River Habitats
Lake and Freshwater Habitats
Land Habitats
Conservation
Plants
Environmental Ecology
Ecological Change
Population Ecology
Theoretical Ecology
Evolution
Speciation
Molecular Evolution
Human Evolution
Cladistics
Darwin and Darwinism
Descriptive Biology: General
Descriptive Biology: Microorganisms
Virology
Bacteriology
Descriptive Biology: Plants
General
Nomenclature
Lower Plants (Cryptograms)
Algae
Fungi
Mushrooms
Mosses
Lichens
Other Crypograms (Ferns, etc.)
Higher Plants
Descriptive Biology: Animals
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Biotechnology
Natural History
Reference
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Handbooks
Anthologies
Education
Curricula and Class Development
Laboratory and Field
Biographies
Darwin
Linnaes
Wallace
Nature Writing
Bioregions and Bioregionalism
Held
15
5
5
1
0
2
4
12
24
2
15
4
13
0
70
12
6
2
0
25
6
0
1
2
0
1
6
0
11
4
2
5
4
3
5
4
15
27
17
13
2
9
5
5
1
0
1
1
1
0
3
2
12
Listed
33
11
12
2
5
6
11
60
67
3
62
17
33
5
151
25
25
6
7
39
20
3
2
3
1
4
11
2
18
6
5
6
6
10
11
9
24
55
63
64
10
19
24
22
13
9
27
3
6
1
18
7
Percent Listed
45%
45%
42%
50%
0%
33%
36%
20%
36%
67%
24%
24%
39%
0%
46%
48%
24%
33%
0%
64%
30%
0%
50%
67%
0%
25%
55%
0%
61%
67%
40%
83%
67%
30%
45%
44%
63%
49%
27%
20%
20%
47%
21%
23%
8%
0%
4%
33%
17%
0%
17%
29%
Title
North America (United States, Canada,
Mexico, Central America)
South America
Africa
Europe
Asia
Arctic/Antarctic
Rainforests
Forests
Deserts
Prairie Grasslands
Oceans
Aquatic Freshwaters (Rivers, Lakes,
Streams, Ponds, Swamps)
Urban Environments
Astrobiology and Exobiology
Biology Education
Bioethics
Biology Careers
Total
Title
Held
11
Listed
39
Percent Listed
28%
3
0
2
0
3
6
1
3
3
4
5
11
4
18
2
14
16
5
10
8
9
12
27%
0%
11%
0%
21%
38%
20%
30%
38%
44%
42%
0
8
17
15
4
885
1
26
44
64
23
2,875
0%
31%
39%
23%
17%
31%
Held
Magazines for Libraries, 15th ed. 2007
Biology
General
Biochemistry and Biophysics
Cell and Molecular Biology
Developmental Biology
Genetics
Microbiology
Biotechnology
Birds
Total
Listed
7
11
8
3
7
5
11
8
60
13
10
11
11
3
9
8
22
23
97
Percent
Listed
70%
100%
73%
100%
78%
63%
50%
35%
62%